Hurtling, Reminiscing, Laughing...

🎵What's that coming over the hill, is it a monster? Is it a monsterrrrrr? 🎵 

Noooo, silly. It's December!

The final month in the year of our Lord, twenty  twenty-three, is imminent. Do you remember the end of January when I informed the world we'd boxed off a twelfth of the year? Now look where we are. Time flies when you're counting down the year in twelfths. Not that I actually did that, but you get the drift. With the end of the year hurtling towards us, it's always good to reflect and remember what we've accomplished. So without further ado, here's this week's update.

Writing News

I've accomplished nothing! Not a sausage. There's literally no writing reflection possible. Apart from this blog and some emails, my tippy-tappy-typing's been on the down low while other people do things. Patience, I believe, is a virtue. Sadly I'm not very virtuous.

 

Saltburn

Culture

Now this I can reflect on. Last week I watched Saltburn at the Odeon. I walked in knowing nothing other than the brief trailer, but walked out full of beans. (I imagine Barry Norman's had similar experiences.) Saltburn is a dark romp: creepy, weird, and funny. At least that's my view. Others do exist. The more viscerally graphic scenes amused me, although one guy across the aisle was audibly repulsed. Larks! And now, for pure escapism, I'm rereading the romance, Christmas at Frozen Falls. It's festively joyful - hurrah! - but even better, the bulk of it's set in Lapland. With every page, I feel like I'm there. Full of snowy vistas, reindeer, and huskies. Fair play, Kiley Dunbar. That's a lovely skill to have.

Asda Hawaiian pizza.
As it ever was.

Food and Drink

Last week, I revisited a childhood staple. In an attempt to see whether my memories were rose-tinted, or if it really was one of the nicer Bond teas, I bought an Asda Hawaiian pizza. (I last had one in my teens.) Despite this lapse in my aspirational pescatarianism, it was lovely. Best tea ever? No, not for a second. Perfectly lovely thing to eat whilst reminiscing? You betcha!

Out and About

I spent Thursday with a group of friends. I've known them for decades but don't see them often. The reason for the reunion was very sad. But catching up with people I laugh the most with, was wonderful. I like that I'm at an age where people I haven't seen for five or so years are still the people who know me best. When I was fifteen, this would simply not be the case. 

Here's to lots of laughs with funny friends as we enter the final glorious twelfth.

Have a lovely week, folks.

Consciously Hibernating...

Last week I signed off after a busy Update with, 'Next week I'm hibernating'.

And do you know what? It feels like I have. Not in the conventional sense, of course. I've not gathered moss, dragged it over to a buried nook in the garden, and got my head down for the winter. I've still gone about my week. I've been to my writing group, visited a couple of relatives, and even begun my Christmas shopping. But the rest of the time - the time when I'm not actively out and about - has been tinged with a cosy hue. I've made a concerted effort to feel the glow of the season. I've started feeling internally Christmassy.

Once the third week in December hits, that feeling will be drowned out by stress and jobs. There's no point delaying seasonal thrills for the specific Christmas week, when that specific Christmas week involves multiple supermarket visits, the blowing up of airbeds, and trying to remember how I fashioned seventeen dining chairs from the eight that my house contains. Yep, Christmas week is too late for feeling nice. It's now or never. 

So, in the spirit of sharing is caring, here's what I've been doing in the past week to feel 'nice.' Also, 'cosy,' 'warm,' 'glowing,' and 'filled with inner joy.' If I can do it, so can you. 

Nail varnish
Regular readers, or fans of my Insta will know my standard daily uniform involves black nail varnish. It's my thing. I don't suit pastels and pale colours, so black - with it's gothic undertones and 'goes with everything' vibe - is just right. But wait! Last week, at my scheduled mani, I suddenly embraced my inner Santa. I'm now sporting bright red nails! I also booked my Christmas appointment to be long enough to contain nail art. I know! Who am I? I'm a ball of Christmas cosiness, that's what!

Music
I have several Christmas playlists. As someone who's never worked in retail during December, I'm in the lucky position not to be triggered by Noddy Holder screaming, 'IT'S CHRISTMAS.' But I understand that many people are. I do, however, feel happy to leave the big guns to nearer the time. Instead, my current playlist of choice is full of instrumental stuff. The film score for Love Actually (the film may have aged badly but the music is beautiful) or the instrumental stuff from The Holiday.  The Home Alone theme is also gorgeous and adds to the joy of the season without wanting to punch the speaker that's blasting it out. Subtle music, with a festive twist. Try it.

Fairy Lights
It's still too early, IMHO, to faff about with decs and a tree. However, I've reached the point in November when I'm comfortable with fairy lights. Because of inherent laziness, I refuse to box up the strings of bulbs that cover my house. They're up all year, they just don't get switched on. Now we're mid-November, that's all changed. As of last week, when I get up, I turn on the lights in the hallway, on the landing, in the kitchen, in the living room, and in the dining room. As my house is (kinda) open plan, you can see almost all of them from the sofa. This one small change has enlivened my days, no end. 

Party Food
There's absolutely no reason why you need to wait for Christmas Eve before you crack open a tray of tempura prawns or chilli cheese bites. And Strictly Saturdays are the perfect accompaniment for a picky bits tea. Not attending an actual cocktail party in lieu of slobbing on the sofa, watching Layton Williams, topping up the prosecco, and reaching for a no-duck spring roll, is far more preferable. Get involved!

Candles
Asda have a candle called Spruce and Snow. They've also got Winter Forest and Winter Spice. I know because I've bought them all. It's a scientific fact that a flickering flame is the loveliest thing. And the hint of pine and woodland aromas are spot on. 

Aromatic Kitchen Smells
There's some food smells that are quintessentially seasonal. I made my Christmas cake on Saturday, and the whole process filled my heart with joy. Oranges, port, chocolate, mixed spice, cinnamon, cherries, almonds... the aroma that comes from the pan as it simmers, is divine. Alternatively, some people get their kicks from slow-cooked ham. Or mulled wine. Whatever smells tick your boxes, seek them out!

So there you have it. The basic things that have sent my inner glow into a full-on fiery furnace. Like I said, I've not technically hibernated. It's been another fairly busy week. But when I've been at home, the time for changing into my Pjs has got earlier. The candles have been lit. The fairy lights have twinkled. Cooking the tea has been soundtracked by John Williams. It's as close to hibernation as an awake person can be. If you want to feel some inner glow, there are worse things you could do.

Have a lovely week, folks.

Sharing the Load and Party Tea...

Starling, the online bank, have created an online tool for couples. Called Share the Load, it invites you to input the total number of hours you and your partner spend on household chores. It then calculates whether you live in domestic harmonious balance or whether one person is having all their needs met by their knackered drudge of a spouse.

 

Obviously I had a go. Instead of actual hours, I guesstimated the percentage of time my partner and I spend completing the list of jobs suggested. Things like cleaning and tidying, laundry, meal planning, and feeding children. (You want to try it? Click here, it's fun!) I whizzed through, breaking down the share for each of us, until I got the end result. It appears I do 45% of the chores, compared with my partner's 55%. 

There are two things that spring to mind. Firstly, I do way more than I thought. Forty-five percent?! Blimey. The second is that I consider this an active stand against the patriarchal lumps that let their partners do everything. According to the website, only 29% of couples share the load equally. I imagine that percentage is even lower when the data is disaggregated and focused on straight couples only. 

Either way, I'm doing a good thing for the world. As a modern woman in a hetero relationship, I must subconsciously feel it's my duty to do less than half of the household shit. Bobbling along at the 45% mark, is my way of redressing the historic imbalance that plagued the generations of my foremothers. World, you're welcome!

Writing News

We're in a small amount of limbo right now. Covers and pictures and bits of technical stuff are being discussed and worked out. I keep rereading sections of text and changing the odd word here and there, but I'll be treading water for a bit longer, I think.

Photo by Johan Persson.

Culture

Kenneth Branagh's currently giving the West End his King Lear and I got to see it last week. Despite reviewers giving it - as a friend commented - a solid 3 stars across the board, I really enjoyed it. At two hours, it's a breezy whizz through the text and you can be in the pub for 9.30pm. King Lear aficionados may well feel some valuable essence has been skipped. But for me - someone who read Lear once for Uni, can't remember much at all, and can now only think of it in terms of Succession - I was more than happy to be in the audience. 

Metz Cream Earl Grey

Food and Drink

Have we ever talked about tea? It must've come up before now. Yeah? No? Can't remember? Well let me fill you in. Long story short, I drink gallons of the stuff. People talk about not feeling alive before their morning coffee, but for me it's tea. Decaf tea with skimmed milk, to boot. Not even riddled with stimulants but I'm still addicted. Weird huh!? But lo! I've recently discovered two recent riffs on my beloved morning brew. First of all, Metz Cream Earl Grey. Yep, you heard. It was the tea I was offered in Canada whilst travelling on the VIA trains. VIA's teabag of choice turned out to be the nicest tea I've ever had. When I got home, I scoured the Internet and managed to source a box of 25 teabags from Etsy. Postage from Canada meant each teabag has cost me over a pound so they're rationed to one drink every Saturday morning. They run out in January. 

Homemade Chai - 
recipe here.

But more lo! I've got a backup plan. When I want a truly special cup of tea - a specialty, if you will - I'm going with homemade chai. Ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, teabags, water, and milk. Oh, and I stir through a bit of vanilla paste. It takes longer to make but I've generally got all the ingredients to hand. Tea? It's still My Life but now I've got a couple of pimped up options for when I want to party.

St. Pancras station

Out and About

London, baby! Yep, two days away was just what I needed. I caught up with a mate, made a new friend, saw a play, ate out, walked a lot, saw the booky Christmas tree in St. Pancras, walked through a Christmas market, and came home knackered. Next week, I'm hibernating.

See you next Monday, same time same place, yeah? Nice one.

Have a lovely week, folks.

I LOVE the Gods of the Gram...

Ah Instagram. There really is something for everyone. It's algorithmic - you KNOW this, right? - so it shows you pictures and reels based on your previous viewing. I get a lot of recipes. Food porn is real and I'm all over it. Then there's interior design porn. I follow a few accounts detailing stunning home renovations from start to finish. And then there's the regular influx of skincare and underwear. Clearly Insta thinks I'm like a seven year old boy, forever Googling bras.

See the full reel from 
@swissglory here.

But recently I've discovered a whole other vibe. Another porn kink, if you will. Somehow, somewhere, the Gods of the Gram have started sending me Swiss Travel Porn. I know, it's an actual thing! Accounts like @swissglory are forever spamming my feed and it's magical. So far there're lots of snowy scenes, trains travelling through the Alps, or Christmas lights in mountainous villages. I've no idea why I've suddenly been blessed this way but I'm loving it. Of course, there's been one major consequence from all the loveliness. I'm spending my sleepless nights planning Swiss train journeys and Christmas mini-breaks. I'm so easily influenced it's dangerous.

Writing News

I've seen two suggestions for the front cover of Leeza 2. Wooohoooo! They're both fab and it's taken me a few days to decide, but decide I have. Watch this space.

Fellow Travelers

Culture

I've been devouring box sets recently. Last week I mentioned I'd rewatched Reacher on Amazon Prime. I also boxed off Lupin on Netflix - the tale of a good-guy thief whose crimes are based on Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of the classic novels. This week I've started a couple of new series. Frustratingly, they're only dropping one episode a week. Lessons in Chemistry is on Apple TV. I read the book a couple of weeks ago and happily, the TV show is doing it justice. You want an exceptional female scientist battling 1960s patriarchal academia? It'll be right up your street! The second new series is Fellow Travelers on Paramount +. A dual timeline switching between 1950s and 1980 America. We follow two gay men, working in Washington, having to hide their sexuality amidst the political upheavals of the time. The script's a bit clunky but the unabashed commitment to depicting graphic sex scenes that truly develop the characters, is admirable. Read more about it here. 

Pasta al ragu
from @fitgreenmind

Food and Drink

I mentioned Insta up top and my regular feed of recipes. My favourite account is one called @fitgreenmind where Maya regularly shares her vegan recipes. The thing is, they're really good. I'm not a vegan but I buzz off the creativity of veganism. This recipe for ragu is next on my list. It looks spectacular and yet the ingredient list does not. Veganism: It's proper alchemy.

Out and About

On Friday I spent the day in Warwick. The thing is, if you buy your niece vouchers for her birthday, you should probably be there to take her shopping. On top of that, I also watched her have a swimming lesson. I was definitely a Full Service Aunt that day.

Have a lovely week, folks.